NCJ Number
57645
Date Published
1977
Length
8 pages
Annotation
THIS PAPER COMPARES STUDY OF THE BATTERED CHILD SYNDROME WITH SIMILAR EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND AND RESPOND TO OTHER FORMS OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR.
Abstract
RESEARCH INTO THIS SYNDROME CAN BE AIDED BY AN AWARENESS OF THE 'BLIND ALLEYS' WHICH HAVE HINDERED STUDIES INTO OTHER DEVIANT BEHAVIORS SUCH AS DELINQUENCY. ONE OF THE MOST WASTEFUL EFFORTS HAS BEEN THE SEARCH FOR A SINGLE CAUSATIVE FACTOR; RESEARCH FINDINGS HAVE CLEARLY ESTABLISHED THAT ALL DEVIANT BEHAVIORS TURN OUT TO INVOLVE WIDELY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PEOPLE. INTERDISCIPLINARY, EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES CAN GUARD AGAINST THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEORIES WHICH REFLECT JUST ONE PROFESSIONAL APPROACH. FOR EXAMPLE, PURELY MEDICAL THEORIES OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR ARE INADEQUATE. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT BOTH MENTALLY ILL AND NON-MENTALLY ILL PARENTS ABUSE THEIR CHILDREN. HOWEVER, THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOW THESE TWO GROUPS ABUSE THEIR CHILDREN CAN BE SUCCESSFULLY INCLUDED IN MULTIDISCIPLINARY THEORIES. THE MANNER IN WHICH SCHIZOPHRENIC OR DEPRESSED PARENTS ATTACK THEIR CHILDREN IS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF NON-PSYCHOTIC PARENTS. THEREFORE, WHILE ABUSIVE PARENTS CAN BE PLACED IN BROAD CATEGORIES, THE FACT THAT THERE IS NO SINGLE PERSONALITY PROFILE FOR THE ABUSIVE PARENT DICTATES DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERAL TREATMENT APPROACHES. IN THIS REGARD, IT IS APPARENT THAT GROUP METHODS OF TREATMENT WILL PROVE MOST EFFECTIVE. PREVENTION RESEARCH MUST FOCUS ON CULTURAL, ECONOMIC, AND POLITICAL ASPECTS OF CHILD REARING PRACTICES. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (KCP).